


Plage de Deauville

by YaBoiBellabean



Series: La Rockstar [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Beach Holidays, Day At The Beach, F/M, Love, Love Confessions, Lukanette, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26263240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaBoiBellabean/pseuds/YaBoiBellabean
Summary: You’re the melody in my heart, the ostinato, the motif, the canon, the coda. You’re the giocoso, the everlasting rhapsody that brightens my day. I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.Boy do goodbyes suck.Lukanette
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: La Rockstar [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908115
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	Plage de Deauville

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Denniso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denniso/gifts).



> Dedicated to Denniso for sprinting nearly this entire fic with me. Thank you for being such a huge inspiration~

How Adrien managed to find a way to tag along on a 200km road trip for a weekend in Deauville was a mystery to everyone in the group. While the artificial beaches along the Seine were nice enough, they were also overcrowded and the atmosphere was nothing like an actual beach trip. And a nice and relaxing beach trip was what just everyone needed before the end of summer.

Tom and Sabine shut down the bakery for the weekend to take Kitty Section and Marinette to stay in a large home hosted by Les Clefs Du Pays D'Auge. It was a very short walk from Deauville Beach and close to a shopping strip and the Deauville Market. And the home itself? Gorgeous. It was a 4-bedroom house with an enormous garden and hot tub around the back.

After gently propping his guitar case against the wall, Luka dropped his bag on the floor near the bunk bed he and his sister would be sharing. He wasn’t upset about being assigned a room with his sister, though he had a feeling that she would’ve been happier staying with Rose or Marinette. Tom and Sabine had decided, since there was an odd number of both boys and girls, that the siblings staying together in a room would help the sleeping arrangements stay appropriate. 

Juleka walked into the room and flashed Luka a small, mischievous smile. “I call top bunk.” She climbed up the ladder and shoved her bag into a corner.

“Fine.” He preferred the bottom bunk anyway. It was bigger. But he had to pretend. For siblings’ sake.

Luka took his clothes out and neatly placed them inside of a dresser drawer; he didn’t care for living out of a bag because his things always ended up misplaced and his clothes became wrinkled. He wasn’t sure how he’d survive when Avaler le Poisson Rouge went on tour. 

Although it’d been several weeks, he still hadn’t told Marinette about the tour and was unsure as to how to go about it. He was certain she’d be happy for him, but he knew that inevitably, he would have to break it off with her, which was going to kill him. She was his muse, the song stuck on repeat in his head. Marinette was everything to him, which is why he’d have to let her go. He wouldn’t ask her to be in a long-distance relationship with him. It was a lot to ask. And he certainly couldn’t invite her to come along on the road. She absolutely had too much going for her. Luka knew it was selfish, but he just wanted to enjoy one last summer with her before he left.

“Are you still going to be able to tuck away your things when you leave Paris next month?” Juleka asked, climbing down from the top bunk. 

Had she been reading his mind? That was Juleka for you. Luka shook his head, chuckling. “I sure hope so. I haven’t really thought too much about it. I’m still in shock that we were invited to tour with Jagged Stone in the first place.”

“Kitty Section is going to miss you,” Juleka laid her head on her brother’s shoulder. “Marinette is too.”

A wry smile spread across his lips as he wrapped his arm around his sister. “I still haven’t told her.”

“I know.”

“Or Kitty Section.”

“I know.”

Luka sighed. “I want to enjoy the rest of summer with you guys without ruining everyone’s summer, you know? And I really want to spend the rest of summer with her, before, you know,” he paused, unable to finish the sentence. She’d be able to finish it for him. “Is that selfish?”

“Yeah,” Juleka nodded and stepped away from her brother. “But who am I to judge?”

“Just—” Luka’s gaze fell to his shoes. “I’ll do it. I’ll talk to her next week. Just let me have this week with her. I’m not great at words but I—”

Juleka shook her head and smiled softly. “I know.”

Of course Juleka knew. She knew he sucked at words. She knew that Marinette was the symphony in his heart. She also knew how torn he’d been about the tour. She knew how badly this was going to hurt. Juleka knew.

Initially, Luka had been absolutely thrilled when Jagged Stone asked Avaler le Poisson Rouge to be his opening act for his Europe tour; it meant that they’d been noticed and were on the road to _making it_. And not long after? Jagged Stone pulled strings and helped them land a record deal. How could he pass up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? 

But, all at once, it hit him like a bag of bricks. He’d have to leave Kitty Section. He’d have to leave his family. He’d have to leave Marinette. 

The road was no place for her, Luka had reasoned with himself. Marinette needed to finish school and she needed to focus on her own dreams and be near her family. Time and time again over the last few weeks, he’d beat himself up over his hasty decision. He was so damned selfish for accepting the offer before he’d even thought it over. Avaler le Poisson Rouge could’ve found another guitarist. He could’ve stayed in Paris with the person he loved most. Of course, he still hadn’t told her _that_ either. 

Juleka was right. The longer he waited to tell Marinette, the worse it was going to hurt. For both of them. It would be better that he be forthcoming about it, rather than her find out through someone else. But it was hard. Losing her was the last thing he wanted. The idea of not being able to look into her big sapphire eyes destroyed him. He wanted to hold out just a little longer so he could listen to her angelic voice, embrace her in his arms, kiss every freckle dusted across her cheeks, and play her song, just for her.

“Juleka?” he began quietly. “It’s going to kill me to do this. I don’t really want to think about it right now. I want this weekend to be the happiest memory to take with me.”

“It’s a good thing I brought this then,” Juleka said, holding up her polaroid camera. “You can be together forever inside of the pictures.”

Luka smiled. His sister was the best.

~*~*~

The weather in Deauville had no business being as hot and humid as it was. Late August wasn’t supposed to get above 23°C, yet here they were in 31°C weather. As he shoved one of the rented beach umbrellas deep into the sand, Luka supposed that it was a good thing that they’d decided to go straight to the beach instead of wandering around the Deauville Market with Tom and Sabine. Hopefully the water would help take the heat off.

Adrien laid out everyone’s towels under the umbrellas while Ivan set up a second one next to Luka. “How are things going with Marinette and Mylène?”

Things were going fantastic, Luka thought to himself. Just great. He’d planned to propose to her when she graduated two years down the road. It was too bad he was going to have to end it. All he wanted to do was have a nice beach trip with his friends without having to think about the inevitable conversation he was going to have to have. The universe was adamant that his day wouldn’t let him stop thinking about the inevitable. Which honestly just sucked.

He _really_ needed an attitude adjustment.

“Things with Mylène are wonderful,” Ivan chimed in. “I keep thinking about what I should do for her birthday. She’s been into making jewelry with wire and stones. Do you think I should try to make her a necklace or should I just buy her some pretty stones? I don’t know what to do.”

Luka watched quietly as a smile crossed Adrien’s _perfect_ lips. Maybe if he and Kagami ever broke up, Marinette could go be happy with him or something. She’d probably be happier with him anyway. No Luka. Positive attitude. No moping. No self-pity. Focus. On. The. Good.

“I think handmade gifts are better than store-bought ones,” Adrien replied, plopping down onto his towel. “Marinette made me—” he paused, looking up at Luka. 

It was obvious that he liked her. She was delicate and feminine, cute and charming, passionate and outgoing. Who didn’t like Marinette? Maybe he’d break it off with Kagami and make Marinette happier than Luka ever could’ve. And if Adrien made her happy, who was he to take that away from her? He wanted the world for Marinette, even if he couldn’t give it to her.

“She made me a charm a year ago. It’s the first handmade thing anyone had ever given me. It’s special.”

“How are things with Kagami?” Luka asked abruptly, changing the topic as quickly as he could. He needed to get out of his head. He didn’t want to think about having to break up with her. He didn’t _want_ to think about Marinette dating Adrien. He didn’t want to think about any of it. He just wanted to enjoy his weekend with her; he only had one more after this.

Adrien averted his gaze and let out an audible sigh. “We broke up.”

“When did that happen?” Luka asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ivan shot him a dirty look and then redirected his attention to Adrien. “Sorry to hear that. Did you need anything? Is there anything,” he paused, glancing over to Luka, “ _We_ can do for you?”

“Nah I’m good. Thanks though. And it happened a couple weeks ago,” Adrien said, curling his toes. “But I don’t really want to think about that. My parents have never let me go anywhere with friends before, so I really don’t want to dwell on it. I want to just enjoy this time with you guys.”

A pang of guilt hit Luka. Adrien wanted the same thing—to enjoy their time together at the beach without it being tainted by outside worries. He needed to stop moping, not only for his sake, but for Adrien’s as well. If he didn’t change his attitude, bitterness would inevitably seep into his tone of voice and body language. 

It was at that moment that Luka realized that he was at his tipping point. It was a week until September, two until he left. Normally he was completely calm and collected. But his thoughts kept going back to losing Marinette. And he really didn’t want to lose her. But he kept stewing and dwelling and it was making it impossible to enjoy the weekend.

“Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!” Marinette cried out, dashing across the sand. 

At the sound of her voice, Luka was pulled from his thoughts. His attention fell to Marinette hopping from foot to foot, the lilac ruffles bouncing with every step. Juleka and Rose weren’t far behind, though neither of them were bounding haphazardly through the sand. 

“Why didn’t you wear your flip flops, you goof!” Luka ran to meet her. He lifted her off the sand, taking her completely into his arms. He looked down into her dazzling forget-me-not eyes, touching his nose to hers. “You definitely should’ve worn your sandals.”

“And you should’ve worn sunscreen!” she countered, readjusting herself so that her legs were wrapped around his middle. “Your skin is already turning red!” 

“Can you help me with that?” he cooed, setting her down on her pink towel. 

“Luka Couffaine!” Marinette shrieked, a rosy pink lightly kissing her cheeks. “A-Ask Ivan or-or-or Adrien!”

“I can help,” Adrien offered. “Where’s your sunscreen?”

Luka knelt down and pulled it out of his bag, glancing up at Marinette. “You sure you can’t get my back for me?”

“It looks like _you_ should be putting on sunscreen, Marinette!” Rose giggled, throwing her sandals off before stepping onto her unicorn towel. 

Everyone laughed together as Luka passed the sunscreen to Adrien. The cold hitting his skin felt nice in the hot sun. Adrien’s hands weren’t calloused like his own, he noted. They were very smooth. As a model’s hands should be. At least when—No. He wouldn’t let his thoughts go there. Positivity. No. More. Moping. “Thanks, man.”

“Anytime.” Adrien popped the cap back onto the tube and handed it to Luka. 

“Did you need any help with sunscreen?” Luka asked Ivan, offering his tube. 

Ivan gratefully took the sunscreen and began applying it to his chest, shoulders, and back. Much to everyone’s surprise, he even managed to get the spot that nobody can reach all on his own. Bewildered, he looked back at all of his friends staring at him. “What?”

“Can you do that hand-claspy thing behind your back?” Rose asked, cocking her head to the side.

Ivan reached one hand over his shoulder and the other from below, grabbing both of his wrists. “Yeah.”

“Wow,” Juleka breathed. “Can you stay like that for a second?” She pulled out the polaroid camera from her bag and snapped a photo. She set the photo face-down on top of the cooler and put her camera gently back into her bag. “For Mylène.”

Luka smiled. His sister was always so thoughtful and considerate of others. “Luka?”

He redirected his attention to his girlfriend, a smile creeping across his face. She had that effect on him. “Marinette?” 

And man. It was the first time since she’d burst out of the dressing room that he really took the time to draw in her appearance. He’d never seen so much of her skin before. And her swimsuit! It was adorable! She wore a one-shouldered, lilac ruffle top and high waisted, metallic green scaled shorts; she looked like a mermaid. And then it dawned on him. It was the first time he’d touched so much of her skin. He’d lifted her up off the ground wearing that. She’d _wrapped her legs around him while wearing that_. Luka shifted uncomfortably and stuck a hand in his pocket, rearranging himself through his swim shorts. This was going to be a long day.

He watched her sapphire eyes flick down and back up. Luka swallowed a lump in his throat. She was checking him out. Not Adrien. Not Ivan. Nobody else. Just him. He could feel his cheeks heating up. 

Luka briefly glanced over to Adrien. Everything about him was perfection. He was only sixteen going on seventeen, so his body hadn't had a chance to completely develop yet. However, Adrien was well on his way to having a perfect build: lithe physique, broad shoulders, developing abs. Luka's diet wasn't clean and he didn't take protein supplements. Sure, his shoulders were equally as broad and they were the same height, but he was no Adrien Agreste. Yet Marinette was _looking only at him_.

Redirecting his attention back to Marinette, a broad smile crossed his face. "Did you want to go swimming? Or did you want to blow up the beach ball? Or should we take our turn watching the stuff?"

Marinette looked to their friends and gently smiled. "Let's hang back and let everyone else go have some fun. We'll go next!"

"You know, I'll hang back for a bit and watch everyone's things," Adrien offered. "I have to call and check in with Mom. She's in the next town over filming."

"Is that how you got away with tagging along?" Marinette asked.

Adrien grinned. "I think so. She wants me to go over and meet her on Sunday night. I won't be riding back with everyone."

"Bummer." Luka knelt down and picked up Marinette's flowery sandals and handed them to her. “Here you go.”

"You don't want to carry Marinette to the water?" Rose teased, a small giggle escaping her lips. 

A look of amusement crossed Juleka's face as she knelt down to pick her floppy sun hat off of her towel. Rose had bought it for her at the beginning of the summer, and even though she wasn't much of a hat person, Luka knew his sister treasured it. If Luka had a dime for every time he walked in on his sister fidgeting with one pink trinket or another, he’d be pretty well-off.

Luka scratched the back of his neck and flashed Rose an awkward smile. He could carry Marinette to the water. He absolutely could. In fact, he’d be _ecstatic_ to carry her to the water. However, considering that he’d _just_ noticed her attire, he decided he’d hold off until he was completely acclimated to seeing so much of her figure. Even though her choice of swimwear was very modest, nothing could’ve prepared him to actually be around her in _any_ swimsuit. Which was so damned silly. What else had he expected? For her to wear a freaking potato sack to the beach?

“I-I don’t n-ne-need to be carried! Not with these!” Marinette stuttered, hugging her sandals to her chest. “And I know the Deauville Beach is well-known for being sandy and clean, but going in the ocean without shoes on is still dangerous! What if a message in a bottle washed up against some rocks and broke? Then if your feet were bare, you’d cut your feet and sharks would smell your blood an—”

“And then sharks would come up onto the beach and start bouncing around, eating people!” Rose interjected, throwing her fist into the air. “Juleka, can we write a song about that?”

“Dude, that would be so metal,” Ivan added, draping his arm around Luka’s shoulders. “I bet you could write some sick rifts for that, man! Do you guys want to work on it when we get back tonight?”

Juleka shot Luka a sharp look and mumbled, “Do you think we can get it written before _school starts back up_?” 

Luka averted his gaze to Adrien lazily leaning back on his towel while holding his phone above his face. He must’ve been getting ready to call his mother. Which beach was his mother filming on again? Not that it mattered. 

“Luka?” 

He redirected his attention back to Marinette; she was looking at him with mild concern. Could she sense that something was wrong? He hoped not. He didn’t want to spoil her beach getaway. “Yeah, of course. I bet this song will practically write itself! Thank you for inspiring us, Marinette.” 

Rose beamed at her friends and then abruptly turned to Juleka, latching onto her hand. “Are you ready?!”

Luka, Ivan, and Marinette watched Rose drag Juleka toward the water; the scene was absolutely comical. If he knew his sister, she’d planned on taking pictures and _watching_ everyone in the water. She’d never been a fan of pools, so he couldn’t imagine the ocean was much more appealing to her. 

“Last one to the water buys ice cream!” Ivan challenged, readying himself to run. Marinette didn’t wait for Ivan’s countdown and bolted off laughing. 

Resigning himself to buying said ice cream, Luka bent over and fished a powdered pink ornament from his bag. He hoped she’d like it. As he drew in a deep breath, he noticed Adrien, while on his phone, giving him a thumbs up. He appreciated the reassurance and smiled broadly at his friend. Maybe he should wait until they were done in the water. Yeah. That was a better idea. She’d be sad if she lost it. 

Gently, he placed it back into his bag. And then another idea struck him. And it meant he’d have to accept some things. And it meant he’d have to swallow his pride. And it would make him very, very sad. But. Everything for Marinette. 

Once again made eye contact with Adrien and mouthed, “Thanks, man. See you in a bit!” 

*~*~*

Much to everyone’s disappointment, Adrien had to slip away and trade places with Ivan to take a phone call from his father, which left Luka as the candidate to model. And he definitely couldn’t believe he’d agreed to it. He was completely covered in sand from his hips down. Marinette had _begged_ him to let her turn him into a merman. She just _had_ to sculpt a tail onto someone and everyone else decided that they wanted to _help_ turn _him_ into a mermaid, since Adrien had to duck out.

Regardless of whether or not he was happy with having sand invading in rather uncomfortable places, Luka was rather impressed with the results. Marinette had carefully sculpted each and every scale on the tail. Ivan found part of a fishing net that had washed up on the beach, and, in an effort to clean up the beach, he wrapped it around him, just above the place where Luka’s tail met his hips. The others collected seashells and perfectly smooth pebbles to help decorate with. Rose tried to stick seaweed on his head, but that was where he drew the line. Juleka laughed and took a picture. Immediately after, she ran back to their little encampment, proclaiming something about sun exposure.

When Luka stood up and began dusting the sand off, Marinette stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms. She was so adorable. “Too soon?” 

“Yeah. We worked so hard on your tail! I wanted to admire our work for a little bit longer,” she pouted, puffing her cheeks out.

“Okay but hear me out. What if,” he let his voice trail, a devilish smirk making its way across his lips. “What if _the sand monster gets you_?” 

Marinette’s laughter reverberated through the air as she squirmed and twisted, Luka’s fingers running over her bare skin, tickling her sides and stomach. “L-L-Luka! Why?!” she breathed between her fits of giggles. 

It was his turn to burst out in laughter as she somehow managed to stealthily ducked under his arms and sidestep behind him. Her fingers skittered from his sides and up his back. She wrapped her arms around the front of his torso, going for the instant bellybutton K.O. “Mari-Marinette!” Turning around as fast as he could to avoid instant death, he grabbed onto her and pulled her into a strong embrace. He took in her seasalt vanilla scent and nuzzled the top of her head. _He was going to miss this so much_.

“Luka,” she sighed into his chest, “I love you.”

His eyes widened, his jaw dropping ever-so-slightly. The feeling was mutual. It was absolutely, irrefutably mutual. He loved her more than anything or anyone in the _entire world_. Loving her came to him as naturally as breathing. And hearing her say it to him!

Without thinking it through, those three words tumbled from his lips. He rested his head on top of hers and smiled like a doofus. “I really do, Marinette. I love you more than words could ever express.”

Knowing he was going to be leaving Paris, knowing he was going to have to end it, was it okay that he said it back? Was it fair to her? In his whole life, he’d never spoken truer words. She was his muse, his world, his everything. He didn’t want to give her up. He didn’t want to break her heart. He wanted nothing more than to stay with her like this forever.

“Y-You do?” she tentatively asked, her body stiffening up. “I-It j-just came out. I—”

“It’s okay, Marinette,” he quietly cooed. “I knew I would fall in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Just,” Luka paused, pulling away. She looked up at him with her big forget-me-not eyes, an apprehensive smile on her face. “Just know that I love you, no matter what. And I always will. You’re the melody in my heart, the ostinato, the motif, the canon, the coda. You’re the giocoso, the everlasting rhapsody that brightens my day. I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“L-Luka, I,” she stammered, blush lightly kissing her cheeks. “I-I thought you said that you’re not good with words.”

He cupped her warm cheek with one hand and stroked it ever-so-softly with the pad of his thumb. “You inspire me, my Mélodie.”

“Smile, you two!” Rose excitedly squealed, hands clasped at her chest.

Juleka flashed her brother a kind, yet sympathetic smile just before she captured the moment, forever immortalizing it in a Polaroid. Before she could scurry back to their encampment, Luka snatched the photo from her fingers, a giant grin plastered on his face. “Hey!”

He started vigorously shaking the picture. It needed to develop immediately. She captured the perfect moment in time, the moment they confessed their love. 

_The moment they confessed their love. ___

__How bittersweet._ _

__“You’re not supposed to shake those! It’s not going to develop right!” Juleka pleaded, “You’re going to ruin it!”_ _

__“It’ll be fine, Jules,” Luka smiled._ _

__“I want to see!” Marinette latched onto Luka’s arm. “Please?”_ _

__Luka held out the photograph and the two looked together, goofy smiles tugging at their lips._ _

___Click._ _ _

__Juleka quickly dashed back to the cover of the parasols before Luka could grab the second photograph._ _

__“Can I have this one?” Luka asked, draping his arm around Marinette’s shoulders._ _

__Brightly, Marinette beamed. “Luka Couffaine, that’s not fair! What if I wanted this one?”_ _

__“Please?”_ _

__“Okay,” she relented and rested her head against his arm. “But I get the other one. Hey Luka?”_ _

__“Hmmm?”_ _

__“I love you.”_ _

__“I love you too, Marinette.”_ _

__*~*~*_ _

__Luka found himself fidgeting with the powder-pink petals of the silk peony, contemplating everything that had happened earlier in the afternoon. There was nothing he wanted more than to give it to Marinette himself, but he also wanted to make things easier for her. And the looks Adrien had given her while she was splashing through the water and building her sandcastle masterpiece didn’t escape Luka._ _

__Regardless of whether he gave her the hairpin or not, he wanted her to have it. And he wanted to give her the best shot at happiness he could think of._ _

__“What are you thinking about?” Juleka asked. How long had she been watching him?_ _

__“Asking her to do long-distance,” he confessed. “I don’t want to lose her, Jules.”_ _

__She sat down next to her brother and laid her head on his shoulder. “You’re so selfish sometimes.”_ _

__“I know.”_ _

__An understanding quiet fell between the two. Luka continued fiddling with the hairpin while staring at his mismatched socks. Juleka closed her eyes, the corners of her lips turning upward into a soft smile while she quietly hummed. The siblings didn’t need words to communicate their feelings. Silence said everything._ _

__After several minutes, Juleka opened her eyes and placed her hands over the silk flower. “You know she’s going to say no, right?”_ _

__Luka swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded._ _

__“She won’t want to be an anchor.”_ _

__“I know.”_ _

__“Are you still going to ask?”_ _

__Luka bit his lip and nodded again. “I am. And I know what she’s going to say. But I’m not going to beg her to stay with me.”_ _

__“Good. Desperation doesn’t look good on you,” Juleka smirked, standing up. “So what are you going to do with that?”_ _

__“I’m going to give it to Adrien,” Luka paused, drawing in a deep breath. “To give to her. Peonies tie back to her Chinese heritage, you know. In China, it's a symbol of beauty, wealth, and prosperity. In western culture, the pink ones are a symbol of romance, of love at first sight.”_ _

__“I think you should give it to her,” Juleka sympathetically said. “You know the meaning behind the flower and it comes from your heart.”_ _

__A wry smile danced across Luka’s lips as he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter what I do. She’s going to say no. I don’t want her to look at this flower and be sad. I want it to bring her happiness.”_ _

__“Then you should probably talk to Adrien. He’s not supposed to get back to Paris until school starts.”_ _

__Luka nodded, fingers tracing the outermost petals. He could feel tears stinging the corners of his eyes. He blinked them back. He had to. “Yeah. I was planning on it. I’m just working up the courage. I’m just. I’m just not ready. This sucks so bad, Jules. The timing of everything. Why did she have to tell me she loves me?”_ _

__“Because she does. Doesn’t it make you happy to know that she does?”_ _

__“Yeah,” he nodded, rubbing his eyes. He couldn’t cry. Not until he got home. Not until he was in the privacy of his own room. Red-rimmed eyes were a bad look on a happy trip. “Of course I am.”_ _

__“So you’re really going to give that to Adrien to give to her?”_ _

__Luka nodded._ _

__“You know Kagami broke up with him because he has a crush on Marinette, right?”_ _

__Like a random battle in a Final Fantasy game, he could feel the world shatter all around him. Again. Adrien liked Marinette enough that Kagami felt the need to end it with him. It told him everything he needed to know. Everything from the beach, all of his insecurities, everything. It all fell into place._ _

__“No, I didn’t know that. I guess this works out perfectly then.”_ _

__Rising to his feet, Luka clipped the silk peony to the inside of his jacket and gave Juleka a sad smile as he exited the room. He needed to do this. Or did he? He could still cancel with the band, couldn’t he? But if Marinette ever found out, she’d be disappointed in him. And she’d feel endless guilt._ _

__He couldn’t do that to her._ _

__He took another deep breath before he made his way down the hall to the room where Adrien and Ivan were staying. The door was open. He swallowed the frog in his throat as he poked his head in the door._ _

__“Luka!” Ivan exclaimed. “What’s up dude? You wanna grab your guitar and jam?”_ _

__“Actually,” he cleared his throat and stepped into the room. “I was kind of hoping I could talk to Adrien for a few. Maybe we can jam tomorrow after we hit the market or something.”_ _

__From behind his book, Adrien peered at Luka. “What did you want to talk about?”_ _

__“Ah,” Luka nervously scratched the back of his neck. “I was kind of wondering if we could talk in private?”_ _

__A crease forming between his eyebrows, Adrien set aside his book and leapt down from the top bunk to the floor. “Sure. Let me put on my shoes.”_ _

__The two boys made their way to the backyard and sat on a bench surrounded by roses. Luka exhaled and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, face cradled in his hands. He let out another sigh of frustration and sat up, running his fingers through his messy hair. Defeated, he leaned back on the bench and dipped his hand into the inside of his jacket._ _

__Adrien watched silently, worry written all over his face. “You okay?”_ _

__He shook his head and pulled the hairpin from his pocket. “Not really.”_ _

__Patiently, Adrien quietly sat, waiting for Luka’s explanation._ _

__“I’m going on tour.”_ _

__Eyebrows shooting up, Adrien excitedly turned to his friend, a wide smile on his face. “That’s great man! Have you told Marinette yet?”_ _

__Luka shook his head. “It’s kind of a big tour. It, uh,” Luka paused. “We’re touring with Jagged Stone across Europe. We’re his opening act. I, uh, I haven’t told anyone. We signed a record deal last week.”_ _

__“That’s great! But wait,” the smile faded from Adrien’s face. “Why haven’t you told Marinette?”_ _

__Feeling the tears building up, Luka tried to blink them back. Why was this so damned hard?_ _

__“She’ll see herself as a burden. To me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to break up with her. I love her more than anything in the world. I just,” he sighed. “I am going to ask her to do a long-distance relationship. But.”_ _

__Luka watched as Adrien thoughtfully chewed on his bottom lip._ _

__“She’ll never agree to it.”_ _

__“Because she’ll think she’s holding you back,” Adrien finished, leaning forward on his knees. “So why me? Why are you telling me?”_ _

__Drawing in a deep breath, he handed the hairpin to Adrien. “Take care of her for me.”_ _

__“W-Wai-Wait! What?” Adrien stammered, eyebrows knitting together. “What do you mean?”_ _

__He choked back a sob and buried his face in his hands. “Give me the rest of this week with her.” Luka looked up at Adrien through tears. “I love her so much. Please. Take care of her for me. There’s no way she’ll stay with me.”_ _

__“I-I—She’s your girlfriend. Wh-Why?”_ _

__A wry chuckle escaped Luka’s lips as he flopped back again. “I see the way you look at her. She’s easy to love, isn’t she?”_ _

__Adrien was quiet for a while, presumably attempting to process everything Luka was dropping on him._ _

__“She draws people in. She’s so passionate and caring and kind.” Luka continued, “And I want her to be happy, above everything else. Even if it’s not with me.”_ _

__“So why don’t you stay home, Luka? Skip the tour? She loves you too, you know.”_ _

__“Adrien, you and I both know she’d blame herself for me not following my dream. It’d almost be more selfish of me to stay home. I don’t want her to live with guilt. Even if it was my choice—you know that she puts undue stress on herself.”_ _

__The blonde nodded, fingers lightly caressing the silk flower. “Yeah.”_ _

__“You love her too, don’t you?”_ _

__Adrien’s grass green eyes met Luka’s, a guilty smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Yeah. I do. But,” he paused and looked back down at the silk peony. “You got to her first.”_ _

__“She used to have the biggest crush on you,” Luka laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You could’ve had her first if you weren’t such an oblivious ball of sunshine, you know.”_ _

__“Really?” Adrien asked, looking back up into Luka’s eyes._ _

__“Really,” Luka confirmed, chuckling and shaking his head. “I was so self-conscious, even today at the beach.”_ _

__A comfortable silence fell between the two boys as they both leaned back and looked up at the sky. The stars were much brighter there than they were in Paris. Less light pollution, Luka supposed. A shooting star caught his eye and he quietly made a wish._ _

__“So now what?”_ _

__“Now we go back in,” Luka said, wiping any traces of tears away. “And we pretend none of this happened. I want to enjoy what little time I have left with her.”_ _

__“Luka…”_ _

__He gave Adrien a sharp look as he rose to his feet. “If you hurt her, I will never forgive you.”_ _

__The statement was ironic, really. He had one week and one day left until he would be the reason for her tears. And it killed him._ _

__*~*~*_ _

__Luka stood outside of Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. His jaw was clenched tight, dread set into his face like rigor mortis. His hands were jammed stiffly in his pockets and his knees felt like they were going to give out. As Marinette practically skipped out of the front doors of the bakery, happy to see him, a pang of guilt stabbed through and twisted in his stomach._ _

__September came all too soon._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Do you like reading Mirculous fanfiction? If yes, please come join our Discord server! If no, please disregard this message!
> 
> [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks)


End file.
